No abstract

Among vegetable foods peach (Prunus persica) has been recognized as a significant cause of allergy. The protein, which is considered to be the major peach allergen, has been named Pru p 1. Because peaches are consumed both as fresh fruits and after processing to obtain peach juice, nectar, jam, syrupy peach, etc., research was carried out to identify a technological process for production of hypo- or nonallergenic peach-based products. SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting analysis of extracts prepared from four commercial peach nectars showed that the Pru p 1 was not removed, and neither was its allergenic activity decreased by technological treatments carried out for nectar production. Some treatments oriented toward a removal of or, at least, a decrease in the allergenic power were assumed and verified at laboratory scale. A variable considered was heat treatment at 121 degrees C for 10 and 30 min: this treatment was not able to decrease the allergenicity of the Pru p 1 protein. Furthermore, the protein band was still present even after 60-min reaction with two different acidic proteases. The two technological treatments that were found to decrease the major allergen of peach were chemical lye peeling of fruits and ultrafiltration of juice through membranes with suitable cutoff. On the basis of the results obtained from this research, a processing flow sheet was defined to obtain hypoallergenic or probably nonallergenic limpid juices and nectars. These products may represent, besides finished foods, intermediates to obtain various products after addition of further ingredients such as pectins, sugars, and fiber.

Eight commercial Italian vini novelli (red wines prepared by carbonic maceration and supposed to be consumed within three months from their wine-making) were evaluated for their total antioxidant activity. The wines had an average total phenol content (1605.4 +/- 337.4 mg/L gallic acid equivalents) lower than that of wines prepared by traditional maceration and consumable after aging (2057. 3 +/- 524.0 mg/L gallic acid equivalents). The average flavanol content (424.7 +/- 121.3 mg/L catechin equivalents) and the total antioxidant activity (16.8 +/- 3.8 mmol/L Trolox equivalents) of vini novelli were higher than the corresponding values (382.7 +/- 174.5 mg/L catechin equivalents and 12.3 +/- 3.3 mmol/L Trolox equivalents) found for aged wines. Three couples of experimental wines were prepared from the same grapes by traditional or carbonic maceration. These wines showed a different phenolic pattern, anthocyanins being more abundant in vini novelli. However, the average total antioxidant activities of the wines were similar, suggesting that aging (and not the wine-making technique) is the main factor influencing the antioxidant activity of red wines.